Happy audition season, dancers! I’m hoping that soon I’ll be able to change this post title to “7 Audition Strategies that Helped Me Book a Dream Job,” but for now, this is just a real-time update on what I’m doing to LOCK IN this audition season. I hope this helps you as much as it’s helped me so far. Best of luck!
7 Audition Strategies I Changed This Year:
1. Picked a “Signature Look”
I once got remembered at an audition for being “the girl in the blue leggings,” so this year I decided to take that one step further and wear the exact same outfit to every audition. If it’s a video audition, I wear that outfit to film, and then I wear the same thing to the callback. Every single time I’m in front of a casting director, I’m wearing my signature look. (And yes, this look involves blue leggings. See below.)
I also chose to make this outfit brighter and bolder than my usual dark neutrals. Anything to stand out in the crowd!
Exhibit A, my new signature look:
2. Submitted Before the Deadline
For my most recent video audition (which I ended up getting a callback for), I submitted three days before the deadline. I don’t know for sure that this makes a difference, but it stands to reason that they might watch the videos in the order that they were submitted, which would give me a better chance. If you’re the last video on the list, they might fill up their callback list before they even get to you!
3. Switched Back to My Old Dance Reel
Okay, context: A few years ago, I got inspired by a fellow performer’s reel and decided to make one like it. Instead of performance clips, she just filmed two 8-counts each of jazz, contemporary, ballet, etc. and that was her whole reel. I did the same, making sure to include all the most common tricks at professional dance auditions.
This reel got me several callbacks and I used it for a long time. But I made a new one once I had enough high-quality performance clips, because I thought performance clips were preferred. Suddenly, I stopped getting callbacks.
I don’t know for sure that my new reel was the issue, but as soon as I switched back to the old one, I started getting callbacks again!
4. Started Conserving My Energy at Auditions
Confession: my stamina’s not that great. I was getting so exhausted from “performing” the combo as I learned it (because I didn’t want them to see me marking), that I wasn’t able to do my best when it came time for groups because my muscles were shaking.
The long term solution is obviously to improve my stamina, but in the short term, I adopted a new strategy.
- I start at the front of the room if possible, and I dance full out as I’m learning the first few 8-counts. Make a great first impression.
- Once they have the front line go to the back, I hang out in the back or the middle of the room until it’s time for small groups. (You don’t have to move up to the front again just because everyone else is.) In the back, I can conserve my energy.
- Finally, I make myself visible again for small groups and give it everything I have.
5. Showed Up Even Though the Audition Was Full
As of this writing, this actually hasn’t happened yet, but it’s going to next week. There’s a local audition that I really wanted to go to, but it was full by the time I tried to sign up. I’m going to show up anyway, and I’m going to ask if I can audition if someone no-shows. The worst that could happen is they say no and I go home. It’s worth a try!
6. Got in the Right Headspace to Perform
You’ll probably be surprised to hear that I didn’t do this before, but this season, I started listening to music while I get ready and travel to the audition. (What can I say? I don’t usually listen to music while I do stuff.) Sometimes I’ll listen to songs from the show I’m auditioning for, or sometimes it’s just my “confidence playlist,” but it’s been a great way to hype myself up and have more fun.
I’ve also stopped trying to be productive and work on other things in the waiting room, because that takes you out of it mentally. Once I’m checked in, I’m in dancer mode and I can’t think about anything else. No emails, no lesson plans, nothing but getting ready to dance.
7. Familiarized Myself with the Choreo Beforehand
You won’t always be able to do this, but if there’s a video from last year’s version of the show you’re auditioning for, familiarize yourself with the style and movement vocabulary. You don’t need to memorize the choreo – the audition combo probably won’t be pulled straight from the show anyway – but you’ll be prepared for the style. If you don’t have a video of the show, but you know who the choreographer is, watch clips of their other work.
If nothing else, knowing the movement vocabulary for the show will give you material to pull from if they ask you to improv!
Though I don’t know yet whether these strategies were successful or not (I’ll update this post when I do), I can already tell you that I feel better at auditions. In a rejection-heavy industry like this one, feeling good no matter the outcome is a win in and of itself!
